An educational blog for college students at Philippine Christian University-Dasmarinas.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Ibalong - Bikolano epic

Ibalong is an epic from the Bicol region. It tells of the story of the land of Ibalong and the exploits of three heroes, Baltog, Handyong, and Bantog. Ibalong is an actual ancient settlement, the first Spanish settlement in Luzon. It is located in the
present-day town of Magallanes,
Sorsogon (named
after Ferdinand
Magellan,
“discoverer” of the Philippines).The Ibalong
Festival is
celebrated annually every August in Legazpi, Albay (named after Miguel López de Legazpi). The festival features people parading in
masks, street dancing, and portrayals of the battles described in the epic.

A long, long time ago, there lived a chieftain from Samar named Handyong. He has
a son named Baltog. Handyong told Baltog of the miserable life of their people
in Samar. There were many enemies who would come every now and then to destroy
their crops and kill their animals. The people were dying of hunger. There is
not enough food to last them until the next harvest. Therefore, Handyong charged
his son to find a new homeland for their people.

Handyong gave his blessing to Baltog. That night Baltog sailed out on a small boat that
would take him to a place called Kabikulan [the Bicol region], which he hard
was a good place for his people to live. But out of the sea, Baltog encountered
a strong wind and huge waves that destroyed his boat. He had to swim to safety
and almost drowned before he reached the shores of Kabikulan.

He
began to explore Kabikulan, reaching as far as the land of Aslon and Inalon
which have jurisdiction over the mountains of Asog, Masaragam, Isarog, and
Lignion. There he found a rich land and called it Ibalong. He returned to Samar
to tell his father of the land that he discovered. So they and their people
migrated from Samar to Ibalong.

In
Ibalong, Baltog was the first to cultivate its field and to plant them with gabi. But one night, a monstrous, wild
boar [as big as an elephant] known as Tandayag saw this field and destroyed his
crops. Upon knowing this, Baltog decided to look for this boar with all his
courage and patience. At last, as soon as he saw it, he fearlessly wrestled
with it with all his might. Though the Tandayag had very long tusks, he was
able to pin down the monstrous, wild boar and break apart its very big
jawbones. With this, Tandayag fell and died.

After
this fight, Baltog went to his house in Tondol, carrying the Tandayag’s broken
jawbones. Then, he hung it on a talisay
tree in front of his house. Upon learning of the victory of their Chief Baltog,
the people prepared a feast and celebrated. The very big jawbones of the dead
boar became an attraction for everyone. Thus the tribes of Panikwason and Asog came
to marvel at it.

Baltog with the jaw of Tandayag. (Photo by Erik Crisoslogo Liongren)

Handyong
also helped his son clear the land of monsters. Together with his men, he fought
thousands of battles, and faced many dangers to defeat the monsters. As
warriors, they first fought the one-eyed monster with three necks in the land
of Ponong. For ten months, they fought without rest. And they never stopped
fighting until all these monsters were killed.

Handyong fighting the monsters. (Photo by Jude T. Bautista)

Handyong
and his men made their next attack against the giant flying sharks called
Triburon which had hardy flesh and saw-like teeth that could crush rocks. They
continued fighting until the defeat of the last Triburon.

Then
Handyong and his men tamed the wild carabaos. They even drove away the giant
and very fierce Sarimao which had very sharp fingernails. Using their spears
and arrows, they killed all the crocodiles which were as big as boats. With all
these killings, the rivers and swamps of Ibalong turned red with blood. It was
at this time that the savage monkeys became frightened and hid themselves.

Among
the enemies of Handyong and his men, the serpent Oryol was the hardest to kill.
Having a beautiful voice, Oryol could change its image to deceive its enemies.
To capture it, Handyong tried different ways. But Oryol escaped every one of it
and disappeared.

Oryol and Handyong. (Photo by Erik Crisologo Liongoren)

Handyong fights Oryol. (Photo courtesy of Jude T. Bautista)

So,
alone and unafraid, Handyong decided to look for Oryol in the heart of the
forest. He followed the beautiful voice and was almost enchanted by it in his pursuit.
Days and nights passed until Oryol came to admire Handyong’s bravery and
gallantry. Then, the serpent helped the hero to conquer the monsters, thus
restoring peace to the entire Ibalong.

In
one of the areas of Ibalong called Ligmanan, Handyong built a town. Under his
leadership and his laws, slaves and masters were treated equally. The people
planted rice and because of their high regard of him, they named this rice
after him. He built the first boat to ride the waves of Ibalong’s seas. Through
his good example, his people became inspired and came up with their own
inventions. There was Kimantong who made the plow, harrow, and other farming
tools; Hablom who invented the first loom for weaving abaca clothes; Dinahong,
an Agta, who created the stove, cooking pot, earthen jar, and other kitchen
utensils; and Sural who brilliantly thought of the syllabary and started to
write on a marble rock. This was a golden age in Ibalong.

Suddenly,
there came a big flood caused by Unos, with terrifying earthquakes. The
volcanoes of Hantik, Kulasi and Isarog erupted. Rivers changed their direction
and the sea waves rolled high. Destruction was everywhere. Soon, the earth
parted, mountains sank, a lake was formed, and many towns in Ibalong were
ruined.

Then,
appeared the giant Rabot, half-man and half-beast, with awesome and terrifying
powers.People asked who will fight against Rabot. So Bantong, the third hero was
called. He was a good friend of Handyong. He was ordered to kill the new
monster in Ibalong. To do this, he took with him a thousand warriors to attack
Rabot’s den. But using his wisdom against Rabot, he did not attack the giant
right away. He first observed Rabot’s ways. Looking around the giant’s den, he
discovered that there were many rocks surrounding it, and these were the people
who were turned into rocks by Rabot.

Bantong
also learned that Rabot loved to sleep during the day and stayed awake at
night. So, he waited. When Rabot was already sleeping very soundly, Bantong
came near him. He cut the giant into two with his very sharp bolo and without
any struggle, Rabot died, So, Ibalong was finally at peace.

* * *

The Bikolano epic "Ibalong" is adapted as a musical play by Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It ran from February to March 2012. It will be run again on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from August 30 to September 30 at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater) at the CCP. For details, check the website of Tanghalang Pilipino.

Trixie Esteban as the young Oryol. (Not in the epic but I just couldn't resist.--Sir G) (Photo courtesy of Tanghalang Pilipino)

R
E F E R E N C E S

The above story was
created using the legend as found in the blog SEO Bicol and collated with
details from KapitBisig.Com.

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About Me

Gilmartin Guerrero is an ordained pastor, a college instructor, liturgist, and linguist. He is the writer of the blogs Eat. PRAY. Sleep.,Instructional Minutes, Tip on Research, Planning, and Love, and Language Files.